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The BlackBerry for Facebook and Twitter apps will soon be updated to include BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) connectivity, Research in Motion (RIM) announced on Wednesday.

The added functionality will allow users to automatically share their Facebook status or Twitter updates with BBM friends from inside the apps, Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM said in a Wednesday blog post. In addition, new versions of BlackBerry Travel, BBM Music, and BlackBerry App World will also be connected with BBM.

The updates will roll out over the next 10 days, and RIM touted the update as helpful for users and developers.

"These updates are great news for developers who leverage the BBM Social Platform to help make their apps more visible and easier to find," RIM wrote. "It's even better news for BBM users who are seeking to discover and share new app experiences and content within their BBM contacts."

More than 800 BlackBerry apps already have integrated BBM functionality, allowing users to chat with their BBM contacts from inside the apps. The new Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v3.0 app and Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v3.0 include a new "Share with BBM" button that lets users set their latest status updates and Tweets as their BBM personal message.

With the updated BlackBerry Travel v2.5, which requires activation with a data plan, users can easily share their travel status with BBM contacts. The new version of BlackBerry App World lets users automatically show their BBM contacts which apps they have downloaded. BBM Music now includes contact recommendations inside the app, allowing users to more easily connect with others and expand their music collection.

Meanwhile, BBM itself will be updated with a slew of new animated avatars and BlackBerry Tag integration.

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Virginia University's Perely Isaac Reed School of Journalism.
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